Steady-state cardioContinuous training

Steady-state cardio is unbroken work at a stable effort — a run, ride, row or brisk walk held at one pace rather than alternating hard and easy. It sits opposite interval training on the structural axis, and it can be done at any intensity, although in practice the phrase usually implies easy to moderate.

It matters because it is the format most of the aerobic base is built in. Long continuous efforts drive the peripheral adaptations — capillary growth, mitochondrial density, improved fat oxidation — that raise the effort you can hold without accumulating fatigue.

In practice its advantage is sustainability: it is low-stress, easy to repeat several times a week, and simple to fit around hard training. Its limitation is that it is time-hungry, which is why most sensible programmes pair a lot of it with a little interval work.